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In the News

EQUAL Beats Back Queens Floodwaters

E. Thomas Oliver, a deacon at the New Jerusalem Baptist Church and a leader of EQUAL, says that when he purchased his home on 141st Avenue in Laurelton in 1971, little did he know he was “buying waterfront property.”
But after storm waters destroyed two of his cars and he spent $4,000 to install a sump pump in his basement—he recalls once seeing a neighbor paddle down the street in a canoe—he was convinced the coastline had somehow encroached upon Laurelton.

Valley Interfaith Organizes Colonias Residents to Get Voices Heard

Valley Interfaithleader Eddie Anaya, first organized a forum in Las Milpas to identify the concerns of colonia residents of Pharr and then brought 20 local residents to a city-sponsored forum later that week to relay their priorities: a satellite library on the Southside of Pharr, public transportation, improved police response, and identifying an alternative water supply.

EQUAL Confronts Dangers of Storm Sewers in Queens

Emily Lloyd, commissioner of New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection, told a group of more than 200 people on Monday night that multiple means of combatting their chronic flooding problems have been deployed successfully, and that far more are coming.

Lloyd, appointed earlier this year by Mayor de Blasio, spoke at a meeting of the group Empowered Queens United in Action & Leadership, or EQUAL, a coalition of churches and civic organizations.

Valley Interfaith celebrated its 30th anniversary Sunday afternoon at the Pharr Events Center, and Gurrola was among several community members who spoke to the more than 800-person audience about how the organization guided them when they needed it most.

Breaking Away

In the past year and a half, Baton Rouge has seen efforts to create a breakaway chamber of commerce, a breakaway school district and a breakaway city. Now, a conservative nonprofit has been created, reportedly, to challenge the one organization that is trying to bring Baton Rouge together...

OTOC Leverages Nearly $1M for Demolition & Training in Omaha

Omaha Together One Community (OTOC) leaders applauded the decision of the Mayor and City Council to finalize $957,000 for demolition of condemned houses and $25,000 to support job training in the 2014 Budget...

OTOC Fights for $1 Million in Housing Demolition in Omaha

Omaha Together One Community wants both candidates to commit $1 million a year to the problem. The city has 748 houses on its demolition list. On average, it costs the city about $12,000 to knock down a house -- but neighbors say it’s worth every penny.

Austin Interfaith Blocks Lobbyists from Rewriting Land Use Code

After Austin Interfaith leaders took issue with a proposal that “would have allowed registered lobbyists to serve on the citizen committee that will guide the rewriting of the city’s land-development code…” the proposal was pulled. Leaders said the proposal blurred “the lines between the duties and responsibilities of citizens in the democratic process and the role of … lobbyists who represent organized financial interests in the legislative process.”

Working Together Jackson Fights Blight in Mississippi

Institutional leaders of Working Together Jackson began evaluating non-profit land trust models to help transform the Mid-City neighborhood of Jackson, Mississippi. Based on conversations with neighbors and residents, Ms. Brent, President of the Mid-City Neighborhood Association, and Rev. Tucker Sr., pastor of True Vine, identified a number of things they would like to address: abandoned housing, overgrown lots, crime, mentoring for its youth and services for its elderly. But people involved in the effort know that, as Rev. Tucker puts it, “the real work of rebuilding the neighborhood isn’t cutting lawns or boarding up houses. The real work is building relationships between its residents.”

While the non-profit land trust would take control of abandoned properties for rehabilitation and renovation, leaders of Working Together Jackson plan to continue the work of building relationships between neighbors.

Fighting the waters in Southeast Queens

As our region continues to recover from the devastation of superstorm Sandy, Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg have rightly said that the city and state need to update their infrastructure to deal with the increased likelihood of future flooding. Bloomberg even based his endorsement in the presidential race on President Obama’s position on climate change.